Users told to uninstall COVIDsafe app as it is decommissioned
The failed COVIDSafe app, invented to help contact-tracing efforts throughout the pandemic, has now officially been scrapped, with users who currently still have the app instructed to uninstall it.
The app, which cost $4 million to develop and $16 million in total spending, has attracted a multitude of criticism since it was launched in April 2020.
Now, users who still have the app downloaded on their phone are being asked to uninstall it, with the app listing stating the app is “being decommissioned” as it is “no longer being used in contact tracing”.
The listing assures users that no information is stored or collected by the app, with privacy concerns one of the biggest issues many had with the app when it was first released.
Health Minister Mark Butler, who has been publicly critical of the app, was the person behind the decision to pull the plug on the contact-tracing initiative, according to The Canberra Times.
In December last year, Butler described COVIDSafe as “useless” and said former prime minister Scott Morrison needed to take responsibility for the app’s failure and “stop wasting taxpayers’ money”.
As reported by The Canberra Times, Mr Butler signed an important instrument at the end of last month stating that the app was “no longer required to prevent or control the entry, emergence, establishment or spread” of COVID-19.